Spicy Masala Idli

Ingredients:

Leftover idlis -8

Onion sliced- 1large

Tomatoes-2medium

Green chillies chopped- 2

Dill greens-1cup

Coriander leaves- 2 sprigs

Curry leaves- 8-10

Ginger- Garlic paste- 1tsp

Chilli powder-1tsp

Garam masala-1/2tsp

Turmeric-1/4tsp

Cuminpowder-1tsp

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Urad and channadal 1tsp each

Oil-1tbsp


Method:

1.Cut idlis into four pieces each.keep it aside.

2.Heat oil in a pan add musturd,dals fry until brown.

3.Add onions,greenchillies,curryleaves fry untill onion become transparent.

4.Add ginger garlic paste, dill leaves and all masalas.

5.Now add tomatoes and little water to bring all masalas together,add salt and cook until it thickens.

6.Add idli pieces, mixwell with the gravy and close the lid for 2-3minutes,cook on alow flame.

7.Serve piping hot as evening chaat.

Vegetable Dum Biryani

Ingredients:

Basmati rice- 2cups(washed and soaked for 20mins)
Ghee-100g

Bay leaf-1
Green cardamom-6
Black cardamom-2
Star anise-2
Cinnamon sticks-2
Cloves-8
Black pepper-10
Mace-1

Onions sliced-1cup
Green chillies,slit lengthwise-8
Ginger-Garlic paste-2tsp
Chili powder-1tsp
Potatoes peeled and cubed-1cup
Carrots,cubed-1cup
French beans-1cup
Paneer cubes-1cup(fried)
green peas-1cup
Bread slices(fried in ghee)-3(optional)
Mint leaves,chopped-1/2cup
Coriander leaves,chopped-1/2cup
Saffron strands-few(soaked in alittle milk)
Ginger-5cm,julienned

Method:

Heat a little ghee in a pan, add half of the garam masala, saute until it begins to crackle,add the onions and brown them. Add half of the green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder and salt, saute for 5minutes. Then add the vegetables except paneer and stir for a while till they are well coated with masala. Now add enough water and cook till done. Bring plenty of water to boil add salt and remaining garam masala. Add rice and cook till they are half cooked, drain out the excess water.

To Assemble:

Take the pan spread the rice,then spread the vegetables,then rice,sprinkle half of the ginger juliennes, green chilies,coriander leaves and mint leaves,alternating rice ,vegetables and mint leaves until rice and vegetables are finished. In the end sprinkle saffron milk and fried bread pieces.Place a moist cloth on the top,cover with lid and sealed with chapati dough(if the lid is loose),on a low flame cook for 20minutes.

serve hot with raitha

BASSAARU

Bas saaru is a very authentic dish of mandya and mysore. It is very popular in villages.
As I am from mandya district It is a regular dish in my mothers place. It is non oily and very healthy dish to eat,loaded with lot of leaf greens ,pulses,dals and vegetables .it is a good combination to raagi mudde.

The South Karnataka or old Mysore region also known as Bayaluseeme or the plains including the present day Kolara, Bengalooru, Mysooru, Tumakooru, Mandya, Haasana, Chamarajanagara is more often then not synonymous with Karnataka cuisine though culinary traditions else where in Karnataka can be significantly different from this one. Ragi and Rice are the most important staple grains, Jowar and Bajra are also cultivated and consumed in the drier parts of the region. The first meal of the day is the break fast which is quite substantial. Regular meals consists of Ragi mudde or steamed dumpling made from ragi flour,a curry to roll bits of the dumpling often called Saaru, Rice and Yogurt. Optional accompaniments include a salad called Kosambari, vegetable side dish called Palya and assorted pickles.

Ingredients:

Hara moong (Hesarukalu)-1cup

Toordal(togaribele)-1/2cup

Garlic-1 whole big(1/2 for roasting and 1/2required as raw)

Onion-1big(same as above)

Tamarind-lemon size

Coconut freshly grated-1/2cup

Curryleaves(karibevu)-2sprig

Sarinapudi-1tbsp



For tadka:

Ghee/oil-2tsp

Onions finely chopped-2tsp

Garlic cloves-4-5(as many as you wish)

Mustard-1tsp

Method:

First cook dal and moong in a cooker with sufficiant water for 2 whistles,then leaveit to cool. Now roast 1/2 onion and 1/2 garlic along with skin, in a open flame on a hob with skewers.After roasting remove the skin and chop roughly.Now grind coconut,tamarind,1/2raw onion and garlic,1/2roasted onion and garlic,1tbsp of cooked dal and moong, sarinapudi into a fine paste by adding little water.Separate the water from cooked dal and moong and keep aside.Now put tadka of ghee, mustard, onion ,garlic untill little black, then add grind masala to tadka and fry for 2 minutes, then add curryleaves along with stem(this gives nice aroma to saaru).After 2 minutes add dalwater and allow to boil for 10minutes in sim flame, add salt to taste. Boil for 2minutes(don't over boil)now it is ready to enjoy with ragimudde or rice.

For cooked dal and moong mixture put tadka of oil, mustard, red chillies,little onion and fresh coconut,serve as a side dish to bas saaru.



You can prepare bassaaru with different combinations of vegetables,dals and pulses.

Some are listed below:

1. Cabbage and toordal

2. Hurulikalu(horsegram)only

3. Beans (hurulikayi) and toordal

4. Vaalbeans (avarekalu)

5. leafgreens like dantinasoppu and toordal

6. Dill greens ,beans and toordal

7. Blackeyebeans and toordal

BISIBELE BATH

Bisibele bath is one of the famous dish of karnataka.This is 2 in 1dish which is great for picnics and outdoors.

Bisi bele bhaath (Kannada: ಬಿಸಿ ಬೇಳೆ ಭಾತ್) is a rice-based dish with its origins in the state of Karnataka, India. Bisi-bele-bhaath translates to hot-lentil-rice in the Kannada language. It is also known as Bisi bele huliyanna. The traditional preparation of this dish is quite elaborate and involves the use of spicy masala, toor dal (a form of lentil) and vegetables. Spices like nutmeg and asafoetida, curry leaves and tamarind pulp used in its preparation contribute to the unique flavour and taste of this dish. It is served hot and sometimes eaten along with salad, papad or potato chips. This dish is commonly found in restaurants that serve the Udupi cuisine. The masala to be used for Bisi bele bath is now available off the shelf in grocery stores of India. Ready-to-eat satchets of Bisi bele bath can also be found. A restaurant famous for this dish in Bangalore is the Mavalli Tiffin Room.


Ingredients:

Rice -2cup
Toor dal - 1 cup
Water-approx 7-8cups
Green peas/avarekaalu(vaalbeans) – 1cup
Peanuts – 1/2 cup
Carrots - 1cup
Beans - 1cup
Potatoes -1cup
Onion - 1 large
Tamarind – lemon size
Dry coconut grated - 1 cup
Salt to taste

To Make powder

Red chillies -10
Coriander seeds –1tbsp
Bengal gram dhal – 1tbsp
Urad dhal -1tbsp
Cinnamon sticks - 3
Cloves – 4
peppercorns-1/2 tsp

For tempering

Oil-1bsp
Ghee- 2 tbsp
Curry leaves-2sprigs
Mustard-1tsp
Red chillies-2
Hing-1/4tsp
Cashewnuts(optional)



Method:

Dry roast the above ingredients and grind in to fine powder.
Cook the rice in a separate container.Cook toor dal and vegetables in a pressure cooker.
Mix rice and dal mixture, now add salt and Tamarind juice and allow it to cook well for about 10 to 15 mins. Add the powder and cook well for 20 minutes.Add grated copra.

For Tadka:

Heat oil, add mustard seeds,hing chillies and curry leaves until splutter. Now add to the rice and mix well. Pour ghee and fried cashew nuts on top.

Serve hot with potato chips.

Aubergine chutney/brinjal chutney

INGREDIENTS

Brinjal -1big
Cashewnuts-1tbsp
Channadal-1tbsp
Coriander
Curry leaves-10
Green chilies-4
Hing (optional)-pinch
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Oil-2tbsp
Salt to taste
Tamrindjuice-1tbsp
Tomato-2
Urad dal-1tsp

Method

1. Fry eggplant and keep aside
2. Heat oil add mustard,cumin,ginger garlic,cashewanuts ( nuts are optional)
3. Add green chilli curryleaves,hing and tamrind and tomatoes cook till soft and well done add fried aubergine and saute and put in a blender
4. Add tempering of mustard,channadal, uraddal,curryleaves and redchillies.
5. Serve hot with rice or chappattis

Palak paneer

Palak paneer is one of the favourite dish of my family, it is a authentic Punjabi dish also known as saag paneer.

It has been known for generations that spinach was good for you, but it is really only over recent decades that the proof has mounted up that spinach is packed with benefitical nutrients. According to nutritionists this dark green leafy vegetable, along with others of similar colour, is among the healthiest of all foods. There are not many foods that have such a rich source of nutrients such as vitamin C, iron, beta carotene and calcium, as spinach. With such nutrients, spinach is blessed with health benefits that are difficult to ignore.Always cook spinach without closing the lid,because it contains some volatile substances which turns green colour to brown.So it needs to escape.


Ingredients

Paneer cubes-15-20
Onion chopped -1
Gingergarlic paste-1tsp
Salt To taste
Coriander Powder-1tsp
Chillipowder -1tsp
Turmeric-1/4tsp
Garam masala-1/2tsp
Cumin Powder-1tsp
Sugar-1/4 tsp
Oil/ghee-2tsp
Spinach- 1 bunch
Tomatoes-2

For Garnish:
Fresh Cream-1tbsp

Method

1. Wash & drain the water from Spinach. Chop them coarsely.
2. In a pan bring to boil for 8 minutes,Cool & grind them coarsely to Paste.
3. In the pan heat the oil, fry onions till translucent,add tomatoes,sugar and greenchilli cook until they become soft.
4. Add Gingergarlicpaste & fry, mix all the spice powders and salt except garam masala & stir.
5. Fry the paneer cubes in ghee and add the Paneer cubes cook for 2 minutes.
6. Sprinkle garam masala and stir gently.
7. Serve Garnished with Cream on top.